{"id":1179,"date":"2010-07-11T01:22:33","date_gmt":"2010-07-11T01:22:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/07\/sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-remembering-gods-justice.html"},"modified":"2010-07-11T01:22:33","modified_gmt":"2010-07-11T01:22:33","slug":"sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-remembering-gods-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/07\/sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-remembering-gods-justice.html","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling<\/em>: Remembering God’s Justice"},"content":{"rendered":"
READ Psalm 140:1-13<\/a><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n

\nBut I know the LORD will help those they persecute;
     he will give justice to the poor.
\n<\/p>\n

Psalm 140:12<\/a><\/div>\n

\nIf I were to stand up in front of a group of Christians today and say,
\n“God will give justice to the poor,” I would receive diverse responses
\ndepending on the nature of my audience. If I were speaking to a
\nmainline Protestant group, chances are people would receive my
\ndeclaration with approval. In many cases, they would also assume from
\nmy use of this language that I leaned to the left both theologically
\nand politically. <\/p>\n

Yet
\nif I were to announce to a theologically conservative Christian group,
\n“God will give justice to the poor,” odds are my words would be
\nreceived tentatively. They also would tend to assume that I was liberal
\nin my theology and my politics, and this would raise suspicions.<\/p>\n

It
\nis truly sad that the issue of divine justice has been so colored by
\nour secular and Christian culture that mentioning God’s concern for the
\npoor implies a certain kind of theological and political agenda. The
\nfact is that the Bible is full of statements like Psalm 140:12, which
\ncould be translated literally: “I know that the LORD judges the
\nafflicted (fairly) and does justice for the poor.” All Christians, no
\nmatter our theology or our politics, should pay close attention to
\nGod’s justice, especially to his concern for those who are poor and
\nafflicted.<\/p>\n

One of the most encouraging developments among
\nevangelical Christians in the last few decades has been a growing
\ncommitment to join the Lord in seeking justice for the poor. Prominent
\nevangelical churches, such as Saddleback Church where Rick Warren is
\nthe pastor, have added working for justice for the poor to their
\ncommitment to evangelism. Some of the finest organizations in the world
\nthat care for the needy are solidly evangelical (for example, World
\nVision and Samaritan’s Purse).<\/p>\n

Christians will flesh out God’s
\nconcern for justice in a wide variety of ways. Some of us will prefer
\nliberal political solutions, while others will uphold conservative
\npolitical values. Some of us will focus on economic development in
\nareas of poverty, while others will seek to feed the hungry. But all
\nChristians are called by Scripture to join the Lord in his care for the
\npoor and the afflicted. We are to be agents of divine justice in this
\nworld, even as we await the fullness of that justice in the world to
\ncome.<\/p>\n

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION<\/strong>: How do you tend
\nto think of “social justice” in relationship to your faith? In what
\nways are you involved in God’s work of justice? Are there other efforts
\nto which the Lord might be calling you? <\/p>\n

PRAYER<\/strong>: Dear Lord, Psalm 140
\nreaffirms what we see throughout Scripture, namely, that you are a God
\nof justice. In particular, your justice extends to those who would not
\neasily receive it in this world: the poor, the afflicted, the
\noppressed, the stranger, the orphan, the widow. <\/p>\n

Help me, O
\nLord, to know how I can join you in your work of justice in this world.
\nKeep me from prejudices that would harden my heart against the poor and
\nthe oppressed. Show me how I can do justice in my part of this world:
\nas a boss, a citizen, a neighbor, and a parent. <\/p>\n

Thank you,
\ndear Lord, for Christian organizations that seek justice for those who
\nso often don’t have it. Bless the work of World Vision and Samaritan’s
\nPurse, Bread for the World and International Justice Mission, and so
\nmany other ministries that seek to extend justice and care for the
\npoor. May your people reach out with your love, grace, and truth in
\ntangible ways. May the world see in us the good news we proclaim. Amen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

_________________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"high-calling-screenshot-4.jpg\"<\/span>Would you like to receive a Daily Reflection like this one in your email inbox each morning?  <\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s how . . . . <\/em><\/strong>
\nThis devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work <\/em>(www.thehighcalling.org<\/a>), a wonderful website about work and God<\/em>. You can read my Daily Reflections<\/a> there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox<\/a> each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

READ Psalm 140:1-13   But I know the LORD will help those they persecute;     he will give justice to the poor. Psalm 140:12 If I were to stand up in front of a group of Christians today and say, “God will give justice to the poor,” I would receive diverse responses depending on the nature of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sunday-inspiration"],"yoast_head":"\nSunday Inspiration from The High Calling: Remembering God's Justice - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}